The 2025 NBA playoffs first round is set to begin on Saturday, promising fans an action-packed postseason after a memorable regular season.

After a historically dominant season, the Cleveland Cavaliers secured the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Closely following are the reigning champions, the Boston Celtics, in the second seed position, spearheaded by Jayson Tatum and the current Finals MVP, Jaylen Brown.

In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder are prepared for competition after achieving the number one seed for the second consecutive season, led by MVP contender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The final seedings were determined on the last day of the regular season, with the Minnesota Timberwolves securing the sixth seed and avoiding the play-in tournament.

Before these leading teams compete, the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference will be decided in the play-in tournament, commencing on Tuesday.

Following the conclusion of the play-in tournament on Friday, the 16-team NBA playoffs will commence on Saturday with four games, followed by four more on April 20th. Eight teams from each conference advance to the first round, competing in best-of-seven series to move forward. All four rounds of the NBA playoffs are best-of-seven, and teams are not re-seeded after each round. The team with the superior regular-season record in each series will have home-court advantage. All series follow a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the team holding the better record hosting Games 1, 2, 5, and 7 (if needed).

Comprehensive coverage of the NBA playoffs will be provided, leading up to the 2025 NBA Finals, which begin on June 5th on ABC and the ESPN App.

Contents
  1. EASTERN CONFERENCE
  2. Cleveland Cavaliers (1) vs. TBD (8)
  3. Boston Celtics (2) vs. TBD (7)
  4. New York Knicks (3) vs. Detroit Pistons (6)
  5. Indiana Pacers (4) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (5)
  6. WESTERN CONFERENCE
  7. Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. TBD (8)
  8. Houston Rockets (2) vs. TBD (7)
  9. Los Angeles Lakers (3) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (6)
  10. Denver Nuggets (4) vs. LA Clippers (5)

EASTERN CONFERENCE

TBD

Cleveland Cavaliers (1) vs. TBD (8)

  • Game 1: Play-in winner at Cleveland

  • Game 2: Play-in winner at Cleveland

  • Game 3: Cleveland at play-in winner

  • Game 4: Cleveland at play-in winner

  • Game 5 (if necessary): Play-in winner at Cleveland

  • Game 6 (if necessary): Cleveland at play-in winner

  • Game 7 (if necessary): Play-in winner at Cleveland

TBD

Boston Celtics (2) vs. TBD (7)

  • Game 1: Play-in winner at Boston

  • Game 2: Play-in winner at Boston

  • Game 3: Boston at play-in winner

  • Game 4: Boston at play-in winner

  • Game 5 (if necessary): Play-in winner at Boston

  • Game 6 (if necessary): Boston at play-in winner

  • Game 7 (if necessary): Play-in winner at Boston

New York Knicks (3) vs. Detroit Pistons (6)

  • Game 1: Detroit at New York

  • Game 2: Detroit at New York

  • Game 3: New York at Detroit

  • Game 4: New York at Detroit

  • Game 5 (if necessary): Detroit at New York

  • Game 6 (if necessary): New York at Detroit

  • Game 7 (if necessary): Detroit at New York

Indiana Pacers (4) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (5)

  • Game 1: Milwaukee at Indiana

  • Game 2: Milwaukee at Indiana

  • Game 3: Indiana at Milwaukee

  • Game 4: Indiana at Milwaukee

  • Game 5 (if necessary): Milwaukee at Indiana

  • Game 6 (if necessary): Indiana at Milwaukee

  • Game 7 (if necessary): Milwaukee at Indiana

WESTERN CONFERENCE

TBD

Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. TBD (8)

  • Game 1: Play-in winner at Oklahoma

  • Game 2: Play-in winner at Cleveland

  • Game 3: Oklahoma at play-in winner

  • Game 4: Oklahoma at play-in winner

  • Game 5 (if necessary): Play-in winner at Oklahoma

  • Game 6 (if necessary): Oklahoma at play-in winner

  • Game 7 (if necessary): Play-in winner at Oklahoma

TBD

Houston Rockets (2) vs. TBD (7)

  • Game 1: Play-in winner at Houston

  • Game 2: Play-in winner at Houston

  • Game 3: Houston at play-in winner

  • Game 4: Houston at play-in winner

  • Game 5 (if necessary): Play-in winner at Houston

  • Game 6 (if necessary): Houston at play-in winner

  • Game 7 (if necessary): Play-in winner at Houston

Los Angeles Lakers (3) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (6)

  • Game 1: Timberwolves at Lakers

  • Game 2: Timberwolves at Lakers

  • Game 3: Lakers at Timberwolves

  • Game 4: Lakers at Timberwolves

  • Game 5 (if necessary): Timberwolves at Lakers

  • Game 6 (if necessary): Lakers at Timberwolves

  • Game 7 (if necessary): Timberwolves at Lakers

Denver Nuggets (4) vs. LA Clippers (5)

  • Game 1: Clippers at Nuggets

  • Game 2: Clippers at Nuggets

  • Game 3: Nuggets at Clippers

  • Game 4: Nuggets at Clippers

  • Game 5 (if necessary): Clippers at Nuggets

  • Game 6 (if necessary): Nuggets at Clippers

  • Game 7 (if necessary): Clippers at Nuggets